Acne treatments which employ highly irritating, and often unstable, substances such as hydrogen peroxide are well known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,091, which discloses hydrogen peroxide-containing formulations.
In acne treatment, some controlled irritation can be beneficial to the skin in that the blemished skin "dies" after minor irritation and is replaced by healthy, fresh skin in a process known as "exfoliation". In U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,370, formulations containing--as essential ingredients--salicyclic acid, resorcinol, lactic acid and ethanol are taught to produce a "glowing" of acne-afflicted skin, followed by peeling of the dried dead skin layer and the growth of fresh new skin.